St. Landry democrat., 1887-07-09
TCopyrighted, 1871

rCopyrighted. 1871
As soon as the warm breath of early
spring begins to temper the winds and
the grass sprouts up and shows with
pride it's new, glossy, green clothes, then
the well-disposed and industrious hen
commences to think of going to setting
for the purpose of Matching out the
twelve or fifteen eggs she has laid and
which have mysteriously disappeared to
feed voracious human appetite. Not
withstanding the absence of material,
she resolves to go to setting, eggs or no
eggs. Therefore, after announcing her
determination by few energetic clucks,
to which the cock responds with some
expressions of heartfelt regret at her
temporary absence, she bids farewell to
the world for a time and retires to her
nest At this time Aunt Jimmy, general
issimo of the poultry yard, appears on
the scene. She has setting of eggs put
by for the very identical chicken, but
before she places them under the hen
she insinuates piece of sassafras wood
in the straw composing the nest.
s'To keep the thunder from adding
the aigs, honey she replies to my in
quiry.
I could never find where this absurd
idea had beginning 1t does not appear
that the sassafras tree is supposed to
be safe from the ravages of lightning
It is simply preservative from the
vibration produced by clap of thunder,
and to what it owes this virtue Heaven
only knows. The Maryland and Vir-
ginia negroes very generally believe that
lightning never did strike the sycamore
tree. The reason assigned for this par
TALLY on the part of the lightning is
that Zaccheus climbed a sycamore tree
for the purpose of beholding our Lord,
as is described in the well-known verses:
Zaccheus he
Did climb tree,
His Lord and Master
For to see.
OF course there is no ground for such
a belief, but candidly, 7 do not recall
ever having seen sycamore that had
been smitten by lightning.
In reference to the sycamore tree being
safe from the lightning, l remember a
story that darby Sam used to relate,
with great gusto, when we were boys.
It was generally brought up by storm
at distance, or by the ftful flashes of
at-lightning quivering on the horizon.
At such times people are apt to talk
about storms, and it was never difficult
matter to get narrative from Sam. His
story was as follows:
Oar war wunce two men trabblin'
along de road. One of dem was a very
KNOWN man, an de odder he was kind
o. stupid like Well, as dey war trab-
bin along, hyar comes thunder-gust
swingin' up de sky. Says de KNOWN
man, sezee, 'We are agwine to get wet;
look at dat storm gust bulgin' along
"Says de stupid man, Less git under
dat big tree in de fiel,' so dey get over de
fence an run for de big tree, an gifts I'M
der it, an hyar comes de storm, rainin'
an blowin', and de ightnin'-golly,
how it did thunder an lightnin'
"Bimeby de KNOWN man he git mighty
Uneasy, an he say, sezee, lime afeard dis
tree am agwine to git struck by de
lightnin'.'
s'But de stupid man he say, Dis tree
can't git struck it am sycamo'.'
de KNOWN man say he don't believe
such nonsense.
"Bimeby hyar comes terrible fash, an
dey heer q voice hollerin', Come away
from dat tree; you'll git kilt
"D'ye heer dat voice calm p seq de
knowing man, purity skeered. Less git
away from dis tree
mo SEE de stupid man; 'lightnin'
can't strike de sycamo' tree
"Bimeby hyar comes de wuss flash yet,
an de voice it SEE agin, I tell you, come
away from dat tree; you'll git kilt Den
de KNOWN man he git awful skeered,
an he say, Tme gwine away from dis
tree Don't We heer dat voice agin?'
"But de stupid man he say, Cant help
de voice; de lightnin' can't hit de
sycamo' tree
"Den de KNOWN man he start to run
away from de tree afore anudder flash
come, an blip! de lightnin' cotched him,
an down he fell, just as if he war hit
wild brick; an he war stone dead,
honey; de lightnin' dom hab to hit but
wunce. Bimeby de storm got done, an
de stupid man he get up an commence
to trabble, when he heer some I'm a
latin. He looked aroun', an dar war de
debble peepin' 'roun de tree.
"'Why didn't you run, too, when I was
q hollerin' at you P SEE the debble.
can de stupid man say, De lightnin'
can't strike de sycamo' tree an he went
on trabbling.'"
$50 it was the devil calling to them ?"
I asked. "Sartain honey, sartain amt
de debble alters a tryin' to get people
in trouble an tellin' EN- to do wrong?
And it goes to show" said old Sam,
pointing q moral, dat de knowin'est
people amt alters de wisest, de stupid
man ne won't have been very stupid, but
he know dat de lghtnin' can't hit de
sycamo' tree"
1t is generally believed that to hear
death watch performing symphony over
our couch is sure indication of q pre-
mature death, either of ourselves or of
some one near and dear to us. The ILL.,
boding insect, the author of this ominous
music, is an innocent-looking bug. It is
not thing of beauty, nor is it Joy for
ever,'but there is nothing malevolent in
its appearance, naught that sayors of the